Technosphere

The Weight Of Human Influence On The Earth

No other species has had such a dramatic effect on planet earth as that wrought by humans. According to research published in The Anthropocene Review, the weight of the 'material output of the contemporary human enterprise' amounts to 30.11 trillion tonnes. The largest share of this weight is accounted for by urban areas, with 11.10 trillion tons. The estimates also consider trawled sea floor, eroded soil and reservoirs - all signs of the immense human influence on the little blue planet.

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This graphic shows the estimated weight of human material output on Earth.

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Weight of life on Earth (in gigatons of carbon)
Distribution of humanity's ecological footprint in 2020, by land use
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Distribution of humanity's ecological footprint worldwide in 2020, by activity
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Environmental footprint from meat production worldwide as of 2019, by meat product*
Number of human-generated space debris, by size
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Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions worldwide from 2010 to 2020 (in billion metric tons)*

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